CHOICE’s latest round of electric heater testing has found that 0 of the 13 heaters tested can be recommended.
“Unfortunately, we can’t recommend any of the heaters we put through our latest round of testing,” says Iredale. “Our recommended heaters need to score at least 70% overall, 70% for heating performance, and pass all our safety tests. None of the heaters we tested met all of these standards.”
“We also discovered that Kmart has produced yet another dismally performing heater for the third year in a row. The Kmart Anko Ceramic Fan Heater was one of the worst in our test, with a score of 53%,” says Iredale.
“The Anko heater struggled to raise the temperature of the test room by 10 degrees, which is concerning. The fan in this heater is also not very effective. The thermal profile of the room shows that most of the heat will go straight up to the ceiling,” says Iredale.
“If you’ve purchased a Kmart heater in the past couple of years, it’s worth double checking to see if you’ve got one of their poor performing heaters in your home,” says Iredale.
In 2019, the Kmart Anko HD904-11 heater scored just 48%. In 2020, the Anko DL03L performed even more poorly, receiving a score of 45%.
Bunnings also earned the ire of CHOICE, continuing the recent trend of retro looks matched with retro performance.
“Retro products are back in fashion, but they’re bringing retro performance with them. Bunnings and Mistral will give you a fashionable paperweight for your home, but not much of a heater,” says Iredale.
The three worst performing heaters from this round of testing are:
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